1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispensers for plastic bags, and in particular to a dispenser structured specifically to enable efficient dispensing of a roll of plastic bags, where the plastic bags are serially separably connected together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today, plastic bags have become extremely common for a variety of uses, such as for example trash collection, food stuff storage and medical purposes. Most conveniently, these bags are serially connected together in the form of a roll, each bag being separable from the next via a perforated connection therebetween. These rolls have the advantage of providing a very compact volume for the storage of the plastic bags. However, at times the roll can be difficult to handle, and should the roll ever happen to fall on the floor, it can unroll itself in a rather unpleasant manner. Accordingly, what is needed is some sort of dispenser structure for holding the plastic bag roll.
The prior art of plastic bag dispensers is exemplified by the following U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,123 to Yang, dated Sept. 14, 1982, discloses a garbage can having at its bottom a box shaped dispenser for folded trash bags, the bags dispensing out a top mounted slot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,490 to Lang et al, dated Dec. 21, 1982, discloses a refuse receptacle having at its bottom a box shaped dispenser for rolled trash bags which are rather complexly loaded into the dispenser, the bags dispensing out of a top mounted slot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,191 to Richardson, dated Dec. 22, 1987, discloses a flat cardboard that folds into a dispenser for plastic bags through a top located opening, the preferred bags have tabs which interact with a tab on the dispenser to aid separation of the bags at the time of dispensing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,486 to Neibaur, dated July 25, 1989, discloses a plastic bag dispenser shaped similar to a facial tissue box, the dispenser having a trash bag tie holder incorporated into it. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,505 to Battaglia, dated Sept. 11, 1990, discloses a refuse receptacle having at its bottom a box shaped dispenser for a spindled roll of trash bags, the bags dispensing out of a top mounted slot.
Prior art plastic bag rolls are well known, and some variations have been developed, exemplified by the following U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,090 to Case et al, dated July 18, 1989, discloses a plastic bag roll employing a releasable adhesive selectively located on the plastic bags so that as the lead bag is pulled, the adhesive facilitates separation of the bag along its severance line. U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,092 to Campbell et al disclose plastic bag rolls employing a releasable adhesive selectively located on the plastic bags so that as the lead bag is pulled, it is caused to be opened.
While the prior art offers a variety of structures relating to plastic bags and their dispensement, they are operationally cumbersome with respect to the combination of placing the plastic bag roll into the dispenser, providing for rotation of the roll within the dispenser and accommodating the problem that when the roll is near its end, the much smaller diameter and lesser weight thereof, results in the whole roll exiting the dispenser instead of just the lead bag. Accordingly, what remains needed in the prior art is a dispenser for a plastic bag roll which provides for easy placement of the roll into the dispenser and efficient dispensing of bags from the roll, especially when only a few plastic bags yet remain on the roll, without need of a spindle.